Garden Planning

My mom once said that gardeners start planning for the following growing season as soon as the current one starts. I find this to be so true. I spend a lot of the summer thinking about what I’m going to do differently the next year. But the planning really revs into high gear for me around this time of year, especially now that I’m winter sowing.

I have a lot of exciting plans for my 2024 garden. Most of them involve starting a ton of seeds that I simply do not have space for! But to know where you’re going, you need to know where you’ve been, so that starts with taking stock of what worked last year and what needs improvement.

Cosmos

I had such a love affair with cosmos last summer! Something about them spoke to me – their tall exuberance made my heart sing. But not in my garden. It was my second year trying to grow cosmos. In the first season, I tried starting them indoors and ended up waiting and waiting for them to bloom. So last year I thought winter sowing might be a better option. Many of them ended up being destroyed by the boys playing soccer. Still, some flourished and grew very tall, but again, I found myself holding my breath, hoping for flowers before a frost.

October 5, still waiting for flowers.

I’d been loving them in other people’s gardens since late August!

Other people’s pretty cosmos. Just because.

They finally opened just a couple of days before the first killing frost. Next year, I’d like to be able to enjoy them for much longer.

Finally open on October 28!!! I guess mine were pink only?

Everything suggests that these should be easy to grow, so I have two theories:

• Apparently, cosmos don’t love rich soil, but instead thrive in poor soil conditions. So maybe the soil in my garden is too rich for them?
• Maybe the seeds start germinating or doing some sort of important work in the fall when the seeds drop from the spent plant.

I brought them in so I could at least enjoy them despite the frost. Isn’t my tiny vase cute? I love it sooo much!

Based on these two theories, I sprinkled some seeds in the fall. To try a bit of a control, I sprinkled some in a barren spot where nothing is growing and also in my garden. I stole lots of seeds from around my neighbourhood – these guys are prolific self-seeders – and started with there. I found some more unusual varieties, but am going to save those seeds to try to grow under more controlled conditions. I am also going to start some using winter sowing again. Surely I will have some sort of success this year!!!

Poppies

Ah, poppies. Will I ever be able to grow you? Why do I see poppies everywhere, but am absolutely unable to grow them myself? I saw so many beautiful ones last year.

My mom’s gorgeous poppy. These are the seeds I’m trying to grow.

Again, I’m going to try some different methods again this year. I didn’t love the winter sowing technique I used last year and it ultimately didn’t lead to a single poppy, so I am going to try winter sowing poppies in milk jugs this year.

It all started out so promising! So many seeds sprouted!

But this was the largest seedling I was able to grow. I transplanted it and it appears to have been eaten. No success, yet again!

The seedling started in milk jugs will hopefully be transplanted into the ground. But I am also going to winter sow some in a large pot with the intention of letting them grow to maturity there. And again, I will try sprinkling them directly before spring. I am very committed to this cause!

Poppy goals in my mom’s garden.

Coneflowers and phlox

I’ve grouped these two together because the culprit behind their poor performance is Sam the groundhog. I’m probably sadder about the phlox, which hardly showed at all again last year. I had some coneflowers, but it was all very lackluster. I think these plants are going to get torn out and replaced next year. It’s just not working.

This is about as good as it got. I have no photos of this part of my garden because it was so disappointing.

Hardy Geranium

My geranium presents me with a bit of conundrum. I have been extremely successful with one variety of geranium. It’s not one of my favourite plants, but I do very much appreciate the colour it provides, especially at a time of year when nothing else is flowering.

Honestly, it is very pretty. And the groundhog leaves it alone.

It truly flowers all summer long. However, it is very large and takes up a lot of space for a plant that I only half love.

Also, it does this weird thing where it kind of flops over.

I am wondering if I feel brave enough to rip this plant out and replace it with a native wild geranium. The geranium I have already is right next to the coneflowers and phlox, which I am pretty sure I will replace this year. So should I replace the geranium as well? Or just divide it? It would be so nice to have that space for a native plant. Would a wild geranium provide the same reliable flowers all season?

Rudbeckia

This is another plant that was successful this year, but that I am contemplating removing. As is typical of me, I got impatient in 2022 and planted the first Rudbeckia I could find (actually I planted six of them). I don’t know the variety, but unfortunately, I don’t believe this is a native. I’m not particularly fond of yellow flowers overall, so I’m not sure what my rush was, and since it’s not a native, I’m really on the fence about keeping it. There are so many options for native yellow flowers. However, it did very well this season and flowered all summer long.

I mean, it’s quite cheerful, right?

I think this whole section has to go.

These are what I see as my greatest challenges as I start planning in earnest for the 2024 growing season. The poppies and cosmos are only annuals, but if I can get them established, then they will ideally self-seed and I’ll have them for years to come. The idea of tearing out a good chunk of my garden and starting again makes me nervous. But isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? And if I am truly committed to increasing the number of native plants in my garden, then I need to make space for them. The obvious place is to start is with plants that are struggling anyway.

This neighbour’s garden is garden goals for me.

What about you? Any big plans for your 2024 garden? Have you ever ripped out a good chunk of your garden to start over? What do you think of my plans?

Just 65 days until spring…